The Eye of the Tiger
by Liberty Roth
Summary: Cassie has a vision that makes her happy: Nick tells her that he loves her. She can See a tiger tattoo on his torso, though she knows he has no tattoos. When Cassie pushes herself away from Nick and Kira, she’s almost sure that it will never happen. N/C.
1. Chapter 1: the Beginning

She couldn't remember whose decision it was to celebrate both of their birthdays on the same day of the year. It was for convenience, she knew, since it was hard to plan a birthday party while trying to catch up with her mother and his girlfriend. No, ex-girlfriend. Girlfriend? Ex-girlfriend? She couldn't remember.

"So, where are they?" she questioned as Nick pulled an envelope out from underneath a table in a restaurant. It had been taped to the bottom of the table, a secret clue left by her mother to slowly lead them to their location.

Nick scanned the letter as Cassie stared at the hand holding the folded piece of paper. One finger had stitches running up the side, a reminder that they had recently had yet _another _near-death experience.

She reached across the table, snatching the paper away from him. He started to protest, but she put a finger up to silence him. "You were taking too long," she explained, reading the paper more quickly. "Crap. Mom and Kira aren't saying where they were."

Huh. A slight glare as she said Kira's name, one that only lasted for a second. Anyone but Cassie, who had spent the past six years with this man, would have missed it. She guessed that Kira was an ex-girlfriend again. Good. She didn't really like Kira all that much to begin with.

Cassie flung the letter onto the table, narrowly missing the plates that were staggered over it. Steak (hers rare, his nearly burnt into charcoal) and side dishes had barely been sampled. They both knew what they were waiting on: the chocolate, multi-layered dessert that they were sharing. It was nearly the same price as the steak, but _oh so worth it_. This whole meal was an annual splurge.

"Careful with that," Nick said, plucking the piece of paper from the table. He neatly folded it and stuck it back into its envelope. "Here." His eyes were boring into hers as he held the envelope out to her, expecting her to take it and put it into her bag.

They played a little game of Eye Showdown, seeing who would cave first. Cassie nearly always won, but Nick was getting better. "Oh, fine," she said after a moment, quickly taking the envelope from him and shoving it into her purse. "So, when are you giving me my present?"

He sighed, taking a drink from his glass. "Did you see what it was this year?" he questioned. She _always _saw what he was getting her. He hated that. For once, he would really, really like to surprise her. She was always surprising him, so it seemed fit. Like tonight, for instance. Instead of wearing that thigh-brushing black dress he knew was still nestled at the bottom of her suitcase, Cassie had decided to don a bright yellow dress that hit her just below the knee.

"Nah. I stopped looking," she said proudly. Recently she had been experimenting with her control over her visions. Sometimes she could prolong her glimpses into the future. Though they grew fuzzy and unfocused, she could sometimes make out details. Other times, if she saw something that wasn't crucial to their survival (like what shirt Nick was going to wear tomorrow or what present he was going to get her) she could cut her visions short. "But, hey, look on the bright side. It can't be worse than last year. No offense, but that present sucked ass."

He scowled at her, his leg bumping hers beneath the table playfully. "Hey, we were running low on money. I couldn't afford to buy you a pony, Princess." She shoved his leg away from hers, though the contact left both of their legs sizzling with heat.

"I got you a _Rolex_," she said, putting emphasis on the last word. "And you got me freaking _markers. _I mean, I know that I was running low and blah blah, but Jesus. Markers. And a Rolex. I got you a friggen _Rolex._"

"That you stole," he pointed out, laughing as their dessert was set in front of them.

Her cheeks turned pink as she flushed, kicking him swiftly beneath the table. "Hey. I Saw him putting it down. I just picked it up before he could, alright? He wasn't going to miss it. He had fifty others. Probably."

"Alright, alright, calm down," Nick ordered, handing her one of the chilled spoons that came with the giant slab of chocolate cake. "Here, Killer."

Cassie took the spoon, licking off the chocolate that had been drizzled over it by the chef. "I was Princess a second ago. Now I'm Killer?" she questioned, waiting for him to finish sucking off the syrup on his spoon.

They both paused, their eyes connecting. They both knew that presents came before cake, but it was always a sort of game to see who reminded the other first. Most years it was Nick, since Cassie always knew what he was getting her, anyway. This year, it was different.

"Present time," she said, setting her spoon down onto the edge of the plate. He grinned over at her and her eager expression. Obviously, she didn't like not being able to See what he was getting her.

"Nah, I think we can wait a – ow!" Her heel had ground into the tip of his shoe, causing a stab of pain to shoot up his leg. "Jesus!"

She smiled over at him, cocking her head to the side. "People are staring at you, cool it," she told him, before holding out her hand. "Hand the present over, Nick. You don't know how freaking hard it has been. For the past three weeks, all I've been able to see is you _buying _the present or you_ wrapping _it or you _giving_ it to me. Do you know how much self-control I have to block the rest of the vision out? _Really_ hard. So give me the damn present already."

He laughed at her impatience, pulling a box from inside of his jacket. It was surprisingly large and she found herself wondering how she hadn't noticed it before. The package was transferred from one side of the table to the other. As soon as it crossed over into her territory, the paper was ripped from it in one fluid movement.

"It's a…" she trailed off, looking down at the silver charm that was on a thick black cord. Was it a necklace? No, it was too small to be a necklace. Maybe a choker necklace? An ankle bracelet? Just a bracelet? Cassie was about to ask, but he supplied the answer for her.

"Necklace," he said. "I laid it out by one of yours to make sure it would fit. It should. It'll be tight, but it'll fit."

"Cool," she said, peering down at the lettering on it. She couldn't quite make out what was etched onto the square piece of silver. It was pretty, in cursive, but unreadable in the dim atmosphere of the restaurant. "Help me put it on."

She stood, motioning for him to stand, too. He did. Cassie pressed the necklace into his warm palm, turning. Nick's hands faltered as he swept her long hair off of her neck and over her shoulder. When had it gotten so long? How was her skin so warm as his fingers brushed across it?

"Nick," she said after a moment, clearing her throat loudly. "The necklace."

He clasped it swiftly, hoping to recover some of his dignity. "Happy birthday," he said as they sat down into their respective chairs. Her cheeks were flushed again and he guessed his probably matched.

"Thanks," she said. "You, too. Do you want your present now? Or can I keep it?"

Nick smiled, holding out his hand expectantly. Vaguely, as she pressed a package into his hand, she thought she had it easy. She was always going to surprise him, no matter what she got him. "I lied before," she said as he ripped the paper off of the package.

He opened the black box, his eyebrows shooting up as he caught sight of what was in the box. "It's a – "

"Bracelet," she finished, choosing to direct her gaze at the chocolate cake instead of him. Cake was easier to look at. It didn't have blue eyes. "Matches my necklace. I saw what you had bought me, but it took me freaking ages to find the store where you bought it at."

He quietly fastened it around his wrist, studying it. "It says the same thing as yours," he observed. "Do you know what it means?"

"Nah. I only caught a few words when I Saw it, so it was hard asking the man where the bracelets were that said… whatever it said," Cassie said, finally lifting her gaze from the cake. As soon as she did, she almost wished that she hadn't. His eyes were boring into hers. It wasn't a glare, more of a 'what are you doing' look. She didn't understand it. "So what does it mean?"

"What does what mean?" he asked, his eyes flickering down to the bracelet around his wrist. "This?"

"Yeah, that."

He shifted for a moment, shrugging. "I don't know. I thought it was cool looking. Like that shirt you have that has Spanish curse words splashed over it. You wore that for a week before someone told you what it meant."

She smiled, lifting her spoon. "Yeah, yeah. Happy birthday, Nick. How old are you now? Fifty?" He snorted as he lifted his own spoon, touching it gently to hers in their attempt at a toast.

"Twenty-nine."

"Happy twenty-ninth birthday," she said, grinning as she shoveled her spoon into the gigantic chocolate cake. She lifted it to her mouth, the warm frosting melting over her tongue. It was rich, dark, heavenly sweet. Too sweet, almost.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Cassie," he said quietly. Eighteen. That was all she was. Though he was technically twenty-eight for a few more months, he still felt old compared to her. He kept his gaze on his empty spoon for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Cassie questioned, making him lift his head to face her. He started laughing, looking at the thick frosting that touched the side of her mouth. She set her face in one of annoyance, not appreciating not knowing the joke. "What? Care to share the joke with the rest of the class, Nicky?"

He shook his head, leaning over the table to touch her mouth with his fingertip gently. Halfway to her lips, he realized how odd this was, but to turn back now would surely make it even more awkward. So he pressed on. Nick wiped the frosting from the corner of her damp lips, pulling away from her when there was no mess remaining.

Silence fell over them. He couldn't decide who looked more shocked. Her face was flushed again, her eyes unable to fall away from him. Nick studied her face for a moment, before standing. "I need to go wash my hand," he said slowly. "From the frosting."

"Yeah, you do that," she called, trying to sound nonchalant. She, too, stood after a second. "Me, too. I mean. Not because I got frosting on my hand, but because it's just good hygiene skills."

She was always a cruddy liar.

He had never appreciated it so much as he did now.

The pair stood to make the trip to the restrooms across the restaurant. They had to wind their way between tables and booths, their hands touching at one point. Nick thought he would die – he wanted so badly to kiss her at that moment. That was his birthday wish. Fake birthday. Whichever.

A moment later, his wish came true. Cassie turned at the last moment – instead of heading into her restroom, she went out a back door to the alleyway. He followed her casually, trying not to look like he was skipping out on paying the check. The last thing he needed was an angry waitress to interrupt him when he was –

Kissing her. No, wait, _she _kissed _him. _He had barely closed the door when she had pressed him against the wall, her warm mouth molding to his. It was hot and sticky outside, the humidity killing him as his hands touched her shoulders. He spun in the alleyway, pressing her back against the wall as they changed positions.

"Hey," she breathed after a moment, her hands dancing over his chest in a way that made him want to groan. "Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded, his nose skimming along her jaw as he touched her skin with his lips gently. Cassie smiled, one of her hands lifting to his hair as he continued to kiss her.

"Do you have a tattoo?"

Nick stopped, looking at her for a moment. "What? No," he said, shaking his head at her. "Why? Did you See something?"

Cassie already had this lie set up, in case he didn't have the tattoo. Yet. "No," she said, pressing herself to him briefly. "I Saw a man running that had a tattoo. I didn't see his face. I guess it wasn't you."

Lies, lies, lies. In reality, she had Seen herself and Nick, standing near a body of water that was so vast… she assumed it was the ocean. He was hugging her to him, whispering into her ear that he loved her. This was the vision that she wanted to come true the most.

"Oh," he said, completely believing her. In that moment, he didn't even think about the possibility that she might be lying. He really didn't care. She was there, smelling sweet and she was warm and he didn't even think about how true her words were. "Can I ask _you _something?"

"Shoot," she said, her eyes sliding shut as his mouth pressed to her neck, just above her new necklace.

"Did you See _this_?"

_That _made her grin. Cassie laughed a little bit, her palm reaching up to touch his cheek. "You will never know."


	2. Chapter 2: the Return

Cassie could remember reading a book that was home to a sentence that stuck with her. Well, not _reading _a book. More like… _skimming _a book while they were hiding from a hot day in a library. It mentioned something like the main character spending 'several sunlit days' with a girl. She had remembered it because she thought it was so _stupid. _Several sunlit days? Just because he was with a girl? Whatever.

Now, though, she thought she understood it. Her past several sunlit days had been amazing.

Monday was her 'birthday.' She would never hate Mondays again, if only because it was the day that she had her first _official_ kiss with Nick. It had only taken, what, five years for it to happen? Cassie thought that was an okay time, especially considering he was ten years older than she.

Tuesday and Wednesday they parked their clunky old car by a lake. On the journey there, Nick had made her close her eyes because he wanted to surprise her with a water view. Her heart had lurched at the sight of the water, remembering her vision. But this was a _lake _and there was no _tiger _on his body when he took his shirt off to go swimming.

Still. Tattoo or no tattoo, it had been a nice view.

Thursday wasn't as sunny as the past days, since a conversation had blossomed as they slept in their car. It wasn't an inappropriate sleeping arrangement at all: Cassie got the back seats to stretch out on and Nick preferred to lean back in the passenger seat. Usually she slept in a way so that her feet were on the same side of the car as his head, but Thursday night… she had decided to lay down with her head next to his.

"Do you think we're getting close?" she had questioned softly, looking up at the black sky through the window. Nick hadn't replied straight away, so she had feared he had fallen asleep already. She _needed _this conversation for reassurance. If he wasn't awake, she'd have to find a way to casually wake him up…

"Getting close to what?" he asked finally, his voice as soft as hers. She liked the fact that he could be loud when he wanted to – like shouting her name over the crowd on a street like the day she had almost gotten lost in a marketplace. Sometimes, Nick could be soft. Like when he pulled her close on Tuesday, whispering something in her ear that made her throw her head back and laugh until she cried.

Cassie paused, wringing her hands on her stomach. "To them," she clarified, clearing her throat. "To my mom. And Kira. Do you think we're getting close? Do you think they've made it to wherever they were going?"

Nick stirred on the seat, rolling over onto his side. He stretched out a hand towards hers, stilling the hands that had been nervously wringing. "Cass," he breathed. "Yes, we're getting close. I think they're already there and waiting for you. I bet your mom has already set up an easel for you and bought you some nice how-to-draw books. Go to sleep."

Though she knew it must've been an awkward position for him – leaning halfway off of his reclined seat so he could lace his fingers through hers – she appreciated the gesture. Occasionally, just occasionally, Cassie had insecurities that she let show through. Nick was very, very good at calming her fears.

"Thanks," she whispered, getting no reply from him. Maybe he was already asleep. She spoke softly, so quietly that she wouldn't wake him up. "I can't wait to see her… It's been so long. I… I bet you want to see Kira again. What happens when she comes back?"

Cassie fell asleep a few minutes later, never having gotten her answer from Nick. As soon as the man was sure that the teenager in the back seat was soundly asleep, he tugged his hand away from hers so that he could move into a more comfortable position. He had pretended that he was asleep, too much of a coward to answer her question.

He didn't have an answer to give to her, anyway. He didn't know what would happen.

Friday was much better than Thursday night. A state fair had set up on some fairgrounds for a few days and Nick had somehow been roped into going to it. "Trust me," Cassie had assured him, dragging him out of their car.

"I trust _you_," he assured her. "Not evil carnies."

She laughed slightly, reminding him of why he liked her. "You've been watching too many Stephen King movies. Chill out. This isn't _It. _There's not going to be any dead ladies coming out of bathtubs."

"That was _the Shining_."

"Details, details," she had muttered, already forking over her ten dollars to gain access to the various rides and funhouses that had been tethered to the ground. "You'll have fun. And if you don't have fun, at least you can suck it up while you look at me having fun."

Nick's cheeks were sore by the end of the day from laughing and smiling so much. He didn't remember ever _not _smiling while she dragged him onto ride after ride after ride. As the fair was closing and they walked among the various carnival games to get back to the parking lot, Cassie suddenly tugged on his sleeve.

"Hey, hey, gimme two dollars," she demanded. He looked at her, bewildered at the urgent demand for money. He had two dollars, of course, but he didn't like to hand over money without knowing what it was for. Nick gave her a look, silently asking what she needed the two dollars for.

"I'll give you ten back," she assured him, her palm spread wide as he reluctantly laid two dollar bills into her hand. Cassie lifted his arm from her shoulder to approach one of the games. A large motor was set in the middle of a kiddie pool – attached to it were various paddles that stirred the water around in a continuous circle. Little rubber duckies were being pushed around in the water. A quick glance at a sign near the game promised that each duck had a different colored dot on its bottom that signaled a person's prize.

"Pick a duck, win a prize for two dollars," the man sitting next to the pool droned unenthusiastically. Nick couldn't really blame him. It must be boring work, waiting for someone to lift up a duck and examine it's… bottom. "You playing, darling?"

Nick watched – now _he _was unenthusiastic as the worker inspected Cassie's legs – as she gave the man the two dollars. "Nah, but he will," she said, jerking a thumb in Nick's direction. She beckoned Nick over, watching the pool carefully.

"Which one should I pick? Any suggestions, Cass?"

She stood on her toes, her mouth so near his ear that he could feel her damp lips brushing over it. "One of the ducks will get stuck near the motor. This guy's gonna reach to pull it away," As he watched, one of the cheerful looking ducks started to swirl down to the motor in the water. The worker cursed under his breath, pulling it from the machinery. "And you pick that one."

As soon as the duck was set back among the others, Nick gave the worker a half-hearted grin. "It needs to be picked after that," he told the man, his fingers snatching the duck from the water. He carefully overturned the rubber animal, noting the bright blue dot stamped on the bottom of it.

"We haaaave a winnerrrr," the worker cooed, taking the duck from Nick's grasp and releasing it back into the water. "Blue dot. You get a ten dollar gift certificate for the International House of Pancakes and a stuffed animal of your choice." He pointed to a wall of various stuffed toys that were either sitting or hanging off of small shelves.

Cassie picked a white rabbit as Nick retrieved the gift certificate. As they were walking away, he shook his head at her. "You said ten dollars."

"That _is_ ten dollars," she said, her eyebrows creasing as she hugged the rabbit to her chest. "I mean, it's in _breakfast currency _but it's still ten dollars. It counts. We could always sell this fake rabbit to some blind kid and make a quick buck by claiming it was a real rabbit. Is that what you want? Huh? For me to go all _Dumb and Dumber _on you?"

Nick was about to ask her if she was even alive when that movie came out, but thought better of it. He was already painfully aware of how much older he was… he didn't need to remind her of it. While he drove back to their motel, all he could think of was the vast age difference.

All he could think of… until he saw who was sitting against their motel door.

Kira.

She had changed in the year and a half that they had been apart. Her hair looked shinier and healthier and the dark circles underneath her eyes had brightened up. Her smile was wide as she stood from her spot, instantly hugging Nick tightly. Before he could stop her, his mouth was being pressed against hers and opened by her lips.

Some part told him to stop. When he finally pulled away from her, he caught sight of Cassie. She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were downcast, though he could practically see the hurt and anger sparking from them. The white bunny had been dropped and was now lying in a dirty puddle on the sidewalk.

"Hey, cute bunny," Kira said, going to retrieve it for her. "Did you win it somewhere?"

Cassie's voice was flat as she spoke, rubbing her temple slightly. "Yeah. I saw you coming and thought you should have a present," Nick marveled at her ability to lie. "This belongs to you. I'm pretty tired, though. It's sorta late. I'm going to bed. We can talk tomorrow. I know she's not with you anymore."


	3. Chapter 3: the Departure

It didn't take long to learn that the 'she' that Cassie was referring to was her mother. "We… got separated," Kira explained slowly as she sat down in the motel room's small chair. Half of the room was dark, since Cassie had flicked her light off and tucked herself into bed. Though all Nick could see was her hair spilling over her pillow, he knew she had to be awake still. Awake and, unfortunately, listening. "Her mother told me that we would meet up at this diner later. I waited until it closed but…"

"She never came." It was Cassie who spoke, her voice soft as she slowly turned to bore her eyes into Nick and Kira. If the light had been better on her side of the room, maybe Nick would have spotted the red rims around her eyes or her slightly red nose. "So you just left her there."

"What was I supposed to do, Cassie? Go and try to find her by myself? What if something happened to me? Who would tell you what had happened to your mom? I thought it'd be better to come back and get help and-"

"And let her rot wherever she's at!" Cassie accused, rolling over so that her back was once again to the other occupants of the room.

Kira paused, silently begging Nick for some kind of help. He drew in a breath, starting to try and find words that could both defend Kira and comfort Cassie. It was hard to not take sides. "Cass, look…"

"No," she said firmly. "I'm done. I'm done."

* * *

Nick couldn't help but feel guilty when he woke up to see Kira snuggled up against him. He didn't know how to tell her. What would he tell her? _Hey, so, I kind of decided I like this girl who is ten years younger than I am. Sorry. I like you, too, but I'm not sure if I like you more or not…_

When he tilted his neck to look at his clock, he saw that it was 6:44am. Wow. Why had he woken up _this _early? Usually he got out of bed at about nine and dragged Cassie out of her bed at eleven or twelve. Why… oh. He could see the door leading into the bathroom from his bed. Yellow, artificial light was leaking out from underneath it. If he strained, he could hear small clinks of someone moving around.

Cassie? She _never _woke up this early. A quick glance at her bed confirmed that she wasn't in bed anymore. Why on earth would she _ever _voluntarily get out of bed before noon?

_Maybe she's sick, _Nick thought suddenly, peeling his covers away from his body. He was careful not to stir Kira… the last thing he needed was to have her wake up. What he really wanted was to have some time to talk with Cassie alone, to try to explain and figure out what he should do.

"Hey, Cassie? Are you okay?" he questioned softly, knocking on the bathroom door gently. "Do you need anyth-"

The door opened abruptly and there was Cassie. She looked dressed and polished, all hints of redness around her eyes and face gone. Her mouth was set in a determined way, her forehead creased angrily. "Hey, watch out," she demanded, brushing past him to go dig around in her suitcase noisily.

Nick gazed down at his pajama bottoms, feeling lazy compared to her. "Usually I have to drag you out of bed," he said, attempting a light-hearted laugh to break the awkwardness that had developed around them.

It didn't work.

"Yeah, well," Cassie said briskly, zipping up her suitcase after fastening something around her neck. "Usually isn't today."

All of the rummaging and closing doors and lights flickering on had disturbed Kira. She woke up sleepily, stretching her arms into the headboard. "Ow," she remarked, rubbing her now scuffed knuckles. She looked at Nick, who was now standing halfway between Cassie and herself. "What's going on?"

"Just getting ready," Cassie said cheerfully, going over to the small side table that was placed between the two beds. She turned on the table lamp that rested on top of it, before pulling open one of the table's drawers.

In the glint of the new source of light, Kira noticed something hanging from Cassie's neck. "Hey," she said softly. "Nice necklace. 'Cor unum.' One heart, right? Did your boyfriend give you that?"

The blonde slowly straightened, closing the drawer as silently as possible. She casually glanced back towards Nick, inspecting his wrists quickly. They were bare. "Oh, no," she said, trying to keep her voice light. "I picked it up in some _really cheap _shop that we stopped at. It was a second hand store. I should probably, you know, get rid of it. It's probably full of lice and other cool little parasites." She stood, ripping the necklace from her neck in one single motion and depositing it into a trash can. Cassie started for the door, pulling her suitcase with her. "So, hey, I'm gonna go and get drunk and then I'm gonna find my mom. Don't wait up or anything."

She left the motel room. Or at least she would have, if Nick and Kira hadn't both lunged for her. Though he had been further away from the door, Nick reached her first. "Don't," he warned.

He was aware that both women were watching him carefully. "Don't do _what_, Nick?" Cassie questioned, her voice pumped full of ice and venom. He had never heard her voice sound like that before. "Don't lie about my age so I can drink? Or don't lie at _all_? Being a little hypocritical, aren't we?"

Kira frowned, her eyes darting from Nick to Cassie. "You can't go. You're just a kid, Cassie. You won't find her by yourself. Wait and we'll come with you. We'll find other people to help us. We will."

Cassie pressed her lips together, trying to shove Nick away from the door. "Did you ever think that I didn't want your help? And what are you talking about, 'you're just a kid'? That didn't stop me before, did it? God, you're smart."

"You're _seventeen_," Kira said, crossing her arms over her chest. She probably thought it made her look more formidable, but Cassie couldn't help but think that it made her look foolish.

Nick spoke at the same time as Cassie. "_Eighteen_," they corrected.

"Oh."

"Yeah. So. I think I'll go now. I mean, I'll see any danger coming, so I'll be fine. I'm good," Cassie assured them. "Have fun. See you… whenever."

* * *

Sorry this chapter is shorter than the last. I've actually had this much written for about two weeks but I planned on adding to it. I just found it again and decided I should upload it and then continue with a longer chapter four.


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